Friday, December 20, 2013

Wow. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Just like that, it’s been a year of Guelph Movie Club--and what a year. We’ve watched Ghostbusters, The Big Lebowski, Back to the Future, The Godfather, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jaws, Breakfast Club, Alien, Labyrinth, Halloween, The Goonies, A Christmas Story, and Die Hard. That’s pretty great.

That makes the Episode 13 our first birthday. In honour of this auspicious occasion, we’re showing Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Join us Thursday January 30th at 9:00 p.m.–-we won’t even make you skip school.

Before the movie starts, I’ll be announcing the winning movie for Episode 14, the February GMC. On the 30th, you'll have a chance to nominate movies for Episode 15, so start thinking about what movie you’d like to see back on the big screen.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

It was about this time last year that The Bookshelf was showing Ben
Affleck's Argo. The film--which won Best Picture at the Oscar's that
year--dramatized The Canadian Caper, in which the our government
collaborated with the CIA to rescue six American diplomats not taken
hostage when the United States embassy was occupied by Iranian students
and militants supporting the Iranian Revolution. The high-stakes ruse,
which involved the fake production of a sci-fi movie, was perfect for a
Hollywood retelling. However, as much as our audiences here loved the
film, some of the historical inaccuracies put a stone in a lot of
peoples' shoes.

A year later, we're very pleased to be showing Our Man in Tehran, a documentary by Drew Taylor and Larry Weinstein. On December 8th at 3:30 and 6:00 both Mr. Taylor and Mr. Weinstein will be in attendance to talk about the doc and answer your questions. As a primer, the filmmakers did us a solid of fielding a few grounders.

Larry Weinstein (l) and Drew Taylor (r)

The BookshelfI wonder why, after the popularity of Argo, you felt the need
to make Our Man in Tehran--does it get it that
wrong?

Larry WeinsteinIt's not that Argo got it wrong
or right.It's a Hollywood film and a
brilliant one at that.And perhaps it
should have said "Loosely based on a True Story,"or as I like to say, "Inspired by a True
Story."We just believed that there
were a lot of details that were not known to the public and we were betting
that these facts (I don't want to give away too much) would be very appealing
to an audience.You know, at the
Premiere of the film at this year's TIFF the former PM Joe Clark said something
that really resonated.He said, "I
have seen Argo and I have seen Our Man in Tehran and the truth is a better
story!"

BS A certain sort of humbleness is stained into the cloth of our national
character, but when our story is gotten wrong, or we're not given our full due,
we're not shy about letting people know. What's the importance of "getting
it right?" Is there an added pressure to not only get the facts straight,
but to articulate what this story means to Canadians?Drew TaylorI think the initial
response to Argo in Canada showed that we do have a sense of
National pride. For those that knew the story, and knew the risks Ken Taylor,
John Sheardown, Joe Clark, and many others took to ensure the safety of our
American friends, offense was taken when it was minimized in Argo. The greatest
disappointment came from specific lines in the script that countered how the
Canadians responded; for instance, CIA agents discussing the need to act
quickly because “the Canadians were getting cold feet.” When you approach any
historical story in a documentary there is a great deal of importance to get
the facts straight. But in film, it is impossible to tell the whole truth.
However, I do think we made more of a concerted effort than "the other film."

BS There was a lot of controversy
surrounding "the other film," not just the treatment (or lack) of the Canadian
story, but the Iranian context. Our Man in Tehran seems markedly different in
those regards, could you talk about that?

LWIt's true that the Canadian participation is
poorly represented in Argo and we have rectified that in our
film.But we also wanted to give the
events portrayed in our film a context and that meant delving fairly
substantially into the Revolution - an understanding of the Shah, of
Khomeini.Nothing is black & white,
there are doses of benevolence and malevolence in those regimes. And there is the strange serendipity of
history--imagine students who stage a hostage taking that was likely meant to
last a day or two and how it was exploited and lasted 444 days.

BS But the film seems to tell the
American story as well.

LW Yes, we knew that the
American response to the crisis was key to the human drama.The more one knows of Jimmy Carter's role in
all of this, the more one feels empathy for his personal torment and the toll
it took upon his presidency.We didn't
interview him but he is ever-present, as you see.

BS I'm sorry to put this too much in the context of Affleck, but I
imagine that's a difficult shadow to get out of just now. When did you begin
work on this project? And at what point did you become aware that the story was
also being Affleck-ized? Did the splash that that film made affect your own
approach to presenting your film? DT Our Executive Producer Elena Semikina met Ken Taylor in July of
2012. She immediately recognised during their conversation that some of the
details Ken was sharing were not common knowledge. Plans began to develop a
feature documentary. At that time it was known that Argo was to be released
that fall, but it was interesting that Ken had not been contacted during Argo’s
development or production. Having played such an enormous role in the planning
and execution of the exfiltration, we would have thought the story impossible
to tell without his involvement. It was apparent that Argo would be, at the
very least, focusing on the CIA aspect to the operation. Our film was already
in development when Argo was released, but once we saw it, it did create a
sense of urgency to get our film out. Not as an answer to Argo, but
to compliment it, and provide a more complete story that included both the
Canadian and Iranian perspectives along with the American one.

Ken Taylor

BS There must be some pros and cons to that association. Maybe you
could share a few?DTWell, when Argo premiered at
the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012, there was a worry that if the
film covered the Canadian contributions well, then essentially our idea would be
a mute point. Luckily, those fears dissipated when we saw the film and our
suspicions were confirmed--the Canadian component was mostly ignored.BS Is there any worry that your film will be seen as a vehicle for
correction, as opposed to an autonomous look at a period of Canadian and World
History?

DTWe set out to make a stand-alone film. Not to compete with Argo or even correct it, but to
provide an alternative for those who were interested in a documentary. Many of
the interviews were conducted just after Argo had released, so we were
constantly having to tell people not to reference Ben Affleck’s film. I think
it is inevitable, we will be tied to Argo in some way, but hopefully
when the dust settles and a new crop of blockbuster Hollywood films have come
and gone, the next generation of young Canadians will be able to turn to Our
Man In Tehran for a piece of Canadian history.

BS The film is presented in the first person, as opposed to the more common third person--or, narrated--means of telling a story. Why did you
choose that approach?

LWI've always been uneasy with third-person
narration--with "the voice of God" as it were….I mean in the 30 or so films I've made
there's probably a total of ten lines of narration.I feel that narration distances the viewer
from the subject--makes it too historical and removed.What was exciting for us was having access to
all these people who were at the centre of the tornado of the Iranian hostage
crisis of 1979/1980 - the diplomats, the journalists, the politicians, the CIA
agents - and hearing their account in first person was something very powerful,
something very immediate.It seems as if
they're speaking of something that happened weeks ago and not a third of a
century ago.They really opened up for
us and I think the audience senses that.

BS I'm curious how audiences
respond to your film in relation to "the other movie," as you put it. Have there been striking
comparisons?

LW At one screening, one of
the audience members said something that was very striking to me and kind of
ironic.She said, "the thing with Argo was that you knew it was a Hollywood film with all the trimmings - it
was designed to put you on the edge of your seat and it accomplished that to
some extent but at the same time you knew that there would be a happy ending -
that's Hollywood.With Our Man in
Tehran there were so many unfamiliar twists and turns that I didn't know where
we were going to end up.So I was much
more on the edge of my seat with the documentary!"I love that.I think that by virtue of reality being less predictable than fiction or
dramatization there is a more nervous reaction to our film.And that's a great argument for documentary
treatment of great stories.

BSOur Man in Tehran is a two-hander. One
of you had never directed before and the other has a filmography of 30 films. How did that work?How did you divide
directing duties?Are you still
speaking?

LW Drew and I have become
great friends and are constantly talking about film ideas - ideas that we are
doing apart, but also ideas that would be great to collaborate on.I think that says volumes about our
"partnership" on Our Man.The collaboration worked well. Drew had a
jumpstart on the material and approached me after the initial idea was there,
so he headed most of the interviews while I kind of worked out some of the
aesthetic approach.But after a few
weeks the roles blended.It really was a
true and rather pure collaboration.And
our Q &A's have been hysterical.It's as if we've been friends for 30 years...Of course, Drew was only a year old 30
years ago - I was already directing films, but no matter.It's been a great journey and I hope it's the
beginning of a great adventure (to quote the great Lou Reed).

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

It’s that most wonderful time of the year – the Christmas Edition of Guelph Movie Club. As our gift to you, it’s time for a double feature. We hope you’ll join us for not one, but two Christmas classics on December 19th. First, at 6:30, we’ll be showing A Christmas Story. Then, at 8:30, we’ll be showing Die Hard. Look, I’m not saying this is the perfect Christmas double bill. Wait. Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.

And, if you’re lucky, there may be a special gift under the tree for you. Since we’re talking about gift giving, we’ll also be collecting donations for the Guelph Food Bank. Help out, won’t you?

Before the movie starts, I’ll be announcing the winning movie for Episode 13, the January GMC. In order to do that, you’ll need to have your say. Here’s the short list for January:

Saturday, November 23, 2013

There’s something terrific about kids being kids; seeing things the rest of us don’t. There’s something terrific about kids having adventures. This month, that’s just what Guelph Movie Club is going to do: have an adventure.

We’re watching The Goonies. Bring your best pals to the Bookshelf Cinema on November 28th at 9:00 p.m. First time to Movie Club? We’ll draw you a map and mark it with an “X”.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that this is the point where I’d normally talk about voting and announcements. If you’re sharp, you’ll also notice that there was no voting this month.

Here’s why: At Movie Club 11, we’ll announce a very special Guelph Movie Club Christmas Double Header. We’ll also announce a short list for January based on your votes from October.

There’s something great about adventures, right? I hope you’ll join us on the 28th for some adventurous adventuring.

Monday, November 4, 2013

It’s the tenth
consecutive year of Guelph’s Festival
of Moving Media—you can just say “FoMM” if you’re in a rush, or wanna sound
hep—and this year they’re presenting the exhibition Hidden Histories: Guelph
Cinema, where you might spot some familiar faces.

Says The Festival,
“The show outlines the timeline of our cinematic past with the rise and fall of
cinemas and technologies, the characters involved, and the great films shown.
We are very pleased to include in the exhibit a five minute interview between
Peter Henderson and Doug Minett discussing the history of the Bookshelf Cinema,
from its opening film, to the controversies, mix ups and successes. The exhibit
runs from November 2-22 at Ed Video (40 Baker Street) with an opening reception
this Saturday, Nov. 2 from 2:30-4:00PM. The opening will follow the 2pm walking
tour of Guelph's Cinematic Past by David J. Knight, beginning at 34 Carden
Street.”

As a sneak
peek to those precious, special few who have Internet, we’re happy to share
with you this clip (courtesy of Bookshelf charity case, Dawn Matheson) of Peter
Henderson and Doug Minett sipping wine down memory lane at our 40th
Anniversary this summer:

For your convenience, here're the full listings of this year's Festival. If you have any other questions ("Does my dog have to pay?" "What's a movie?") please contact Festival Coordinator Carolyn Meili: info@festivalofmovingmedia.ca

BENDING
STEEL
7PM / ANAF / Nov. 8 / $10

An intimate
documentary exploring the lost art of the oldetime strongman, and one man’s
struggle to overcome limitations of body and mind; an inspirational quest to
find one’s place in the world. + Local strongman & World Champion Ryan “6
Pack” Lapadat will speak after the film.

CARBON
RUSH
7PM UofG ALEX 100 / Nov. 8 /
PWYC

Travel across
four continents to meet the people most impacted by the emerging “green-gold”
multi-billion dollar carbon trading industry. “What happens when we manipulate
markets to solve the climate crisis? Who stands to gain and who stands to
suffer?” + Director Amy Miller in attendance

DEAD OR LIVE
(Mort ou Vif) 4PM Ed Video / Nov. 9 / PWYC

Morticians
skillfully blend science, art and social work. But as far as jobs go, it’s
woefully misunderstood. Dead or Alive is a lively and entertaining look at a
diverse group working in the funeral industry. Seldom has staring at death been
so enjoyable and enlightening.

FUREVER
7PM
Ed Video / Nov. 9 / $10

Explore the
bonds that form between humans and their pets, the dimensions of grief people
experience when they lose a pet, and the lengths to which they'll go to
preserve more than a memory.

GOOGLE AND THE
WORLD BRAIN 1PM Bookshelf Cinema / Nov. 9 / $10

In keeping
with HG Wells 1937 prediction of a “World Brain” containing all the world’s
knowledge, Google has started the most ambitious project ever conceived on the
Internet: to scan every book in the world. Google says they are building a
library for mankind, but some say they also have other intentions. + Post film
discussion with Bookshelf’s Doug Minett.

HUE: A MATTER
OF COLOUR 4PM Ed Video / Nov. 10 / PWYC

Renowned
director and cinematographer Vic Sarin, takes us on a personal investigation
into the history and often tragic effects of colourism—the phenomenon whereby
people within the same ethnic group discriminate against one another based on
differences in skin tone. Hue leads viewers on a surprising journey to the
heart of an insidious social issue that is anything but black and white.

LAST CHANCE
1PM
Ed Video / Nov. 9 / PWYC

Last Chance
tells the stories of 5 asylum seekers who flee their native countries to escape
homophobic violence. They face hurdles integrating into Canada, fear
deportation and anxiously await a decision that will change their lives
forever.

MAIDENTRIP
7PM
GYMC / Nov. 10 / $10

At just 14
years old, Laura Dekker sets out on a two-year voyage to become the youngest
person ever to sail around the world alone. Maidentrip is a stirring and
emotional testimony to the power of dreams, an inspiring example of how far
determination, imagination and belief can take someone. The brave and witty
Dekker serves as a reminder that life is a journey that must be engaged
completely to be fully appreciated."

MY PRAIRIE
HOME

Two
screenings:

7:30PM UofG,
MacKinnon 116 / Nov. 9 / $10 / Presented by CFRU

7PM Silence /
Nov. 9 / $10

With a voice
as big as the prairie sky, transgender musician and author Rae Spoon has a
story like no other. This documentary-musical takes us on a playful, meditative
and at times melancholic journey through Rae Spoon’s queer and musical coming
of age, set against majestic images of the Canadian Prairies’ infinite
expanses.

OIL SANDS
KARAOKE 9:30PM ANAF / Nov. 8
/ $10

Five oil patch
workers vie to win a karaoke contest in one of the most controversial places on
the planet - Northern Alberta's infamous Oil Sands. A documentary unlike any
other, Oil Sands Karaoke will make us laugh, sing along, and perhaps re-examine
our biases. + Followed by Karaoke contest with Jenny Omnichord

RENT A FAMILY
9:30PM Ed Video / Nov.
9 / PWYC

Ryuichi runs
the "I Want To Cheer You Up" company. He rents out people: family
members, friends, colleagues or others, to help other people hide their secrets
and make their life look better or just ...perfectly normal. Ryuchi is most
happy and thriving when he is at work impersonating someone else. His own
family has no knowledge of his work and he therefore lives a double life
himself. Will Ryuchi succeed in maintaining his secret or find the courage to
expose his secret double life to his family?

SPRING &
ARNAUD 7:30PM MSAC / Nov. 8 / $10

A
breathtakingly tender and intelligent love story about acclaimed Canadian
artists Spring Hurlbut and Arnaud Maggs (1927-2012). Together and alone, each
grapples with the nature of an artist’s creativity where the drive for
invention and discovery resists life’s finite reality. + Director Marcia
Connolly in attendance.

TALES FROM THE
ORGAN TRADE 4PM Ed Video / Nov. 10 / PWYC

Following the
journey of two Canadians in need of a kidney transplant, the film explores the
shadowy world of black-market organ trafficking: the brokers, rogue surgeons,
impoverished people willing to sacrifice part of their bodies for a quick
payday, and the desperate patients who face the choice of obeying the law or
saving their lives. This is not a black and white story of exploitation, but
rather, a nuanced and complex story that compels you to explore your own moral
and ethical beliefs.

TINY: A STORY
OF LIVING SMALL 4PM GYMC / Nov. 10 / $10

Presented by
the Woolwich Arrow

From 1970 to
2010, the average size of a new house in North America has almost doubled. With
changing financial and environmental climates a new generation is redefining
its priorities with a focus on flexibility, financial freedom and quality of
life over quantity of space. Tiny visits families that are downsizing and
building houses smaller than a parking space, raising questions about
sustainability, good design and how we find ‘home’.

WAVEMAKERS
9:30PM Silence / Nov.
9 / $10

Presented by
the Guelph Jazz Festival as a FAB 5 project.

Wavemakers
pursues the legacy of an electronic musical instrument as fragile as it is
magical: the Ondes Martenot. The Martenot is indeed so sensitive, so
expressive, that nearly a century after its invention, musicians, artisans and
scientists are still trying to unravel its secrets. With never-before-seen
archival material and an entrancing soundtrack, this film explores the origins
and workings of the Martenot, and draws us inexorably into its spell.

HOW WE
NAVIGATE OUR WORLD 10:30AM Public Library - Main / Nov. 9 /
FREE Recommended for ages 5-12

A series of
short films exploring this year’s theme 'How We Navigate Our World'. The lineup
includes: 5 dollars, Rose and Violet, Christopher Changes His Name, the Fox and
the Chickadee, Goal, and the Sparky Book.

WORKSHOPS:

POWER TO THE
PEOPLE: VIDEO ACTIVISM
Presented by OPIRG

WORKSHOP 10AM
/ NOV. 9 / Ed Video / PWYC

Carbon Rush
director Amy Miller will de-mystify the process of creating videos for use in
environmental and social justice activism. She will explore how to design
simple but effective media to reach out to new audiences and inspire them to
join your fight for a better world!

LIFTING THE
LID ON THE ANIMATOR’S BRAIN: FINDING THE LIFE IN LIFE AROUND US... AND GETTING
IT UP ON SCREEN

1PM GYMC /
Nov. 10 / $10

With both
animated and live-action film clips, plus anecdotes culled from more than two
decades in the entertainment industry trenches, Stephen Barnes will share some
of the thinking that goes into memorable performances. Covering everything from
lip sync to pushing poses, this talk will give everyone a sense of the sort of
mind space occupied by top flight actors and animators.

Stephen Barnes
leads a hands-on workshop using your iPad and your imagination to bring your
screen to life! We will email registrants beforehand with details on the
appropriate app you will need to load so that you can come prepared to create a
short animated clip (or three!) that you take home. Limited number of spaces
available, bring an iPad.

STEPHEN BARNES
is a graduate of Sheridan College's Classical Animation program and currently
an instructor at his alma mater, in both the Classical and Computer Animation
departments. For over 20 years, Stephen has worked on everything from
shorts and corporate videos, to video games at Lucasarts and feature films -
including Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., and the
Oscar-winning Geri's Game, for Pixar Animation Studios.

EXHIBITIONS
AND WALKING TOUR:

HIDDEN
HISTORIES: GUELPH’S CINEMATIC PAST

The Festival
of Moving Media has an ongoing series entitled Hidden Histories and this year’s
theme is Guelph’s cinematic past which is explored in two exhibitions and a
walking tour. The first exhibition entitled ‘The Magic of Guelph’s Cinematic
Past’ can be found at the Guelph Civic Museum (52 Norfolk St.). The opening
reception is on October 18th 7-9pm and will run until January 5th. The
exhibition opening will be proceeded the next day by a walking tour lead by
historian David J. Knight, starting at 2pm in front of 34 Carden Street. A $5
donation is suggested. A second date for the walking tour will occur on
November 2, 2pm at 34 Carden St., to precede the opening of the second
exhibition ‘Hidden Histories: Guelph Cinema'. This exhibit opens at Ed Video
(40 Baker St.), 3-5pm on Saturday, November 2nd, and runs until November
22. All of these events lead up to the Festival of Moving Media’s 10th
anniversary with the festival offering four days of unique, thought provoking
documentary films from November 7-10, 2013.

You can vote for
your choice via this handy dandy GMC poll. Note that you can only vote
once; after that the poll won't appear when you view this blog. Result will be revealed at the October 31st GMC showing of Halloween at 9pm.

Monday, October 7, 2013

It’s that
time of year when, for some strange reason, we’re prepared to let ourselves be
terrified. Worse still, some of us like it. It’s Halloween and the Guelph Movie
Club is about to wander into a darkened cinema alone.
In that spirit, we’re watching the original Halloween. On October 31st at 9
p.m., it’s time for you, me, and Jamie Lee Curtis to scream our ever-lovin’
brains out. Also, come on. It’s Halloween. Wear a costume. If it’s movie-themed
and it’s great, you might win a prize.

Before the movie starts, I’ll be announcing the winning movie for Episode 11,
the November GMC (the short list for that goes up tomorrow). And
after the movie, you'll have a chance to nominate movies for Episode 12 (The Christmas
Edition), so start thinking about what movie you’d like to see back on the big
screen.
Don’t forget to visit the Bookshelf Facebook and Twitter pages for voting and more details!
Till then, see you at the movies.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

As we’ve discussed in a previous post, this will be my first time seeing Labyrinth, so please excuse the absence of my usual hilarity. With that in mind, please join me Thursday, September 26 at 6:45 p.m. for a magical adventure. We’re also working on some post-movie trivia, so stay tuned for more information.We decided to try something a little different with voting this month: a theme. In honour of Halloween, please choose one of the following movies as your selection for Guelph Movie Club Episode 10 (October). You can vote for your choice via this handy dandy GMC poll. If you click on the movie's title, it'll take you to IMDB for more information on the film; click on the button to vote. Note that you can only vote once; after that the poll won't appear when you view this blog.

Will I love Labyrinth? Will I hate it? Will I blame all of you for making me watch it (kidding)? I don’t know, but we’ll do it together September 26 at 6:45 p.m.Till then, see you at the movies.- Danny W.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Remember that scene in Labyrinth where David Bowie, as Jareth the Goblin King, says.... Hang on a second. I have to level with you. I’ve never seen Labyrinth. Look, it was bound to happen. Each of us, I’m sure, has a movie—some beloved classic—that we haven’t seen.Here’s what I do know: barn owl, Jennifer Connelly, David Bowie’s tight pants. Here’s another thing I know: Thursday, September 26 at 6:45 p.m.—we’re watching Labyrinth.We’re also working on some post-movie fun. The cinema team and I are working on putting together some movie trivia fun. We haven’t worked out all the details yet, but it’s just another part of our efforts to make movie club bigger and better.Will there be excitement? Will there be prizes? Stay tuned to Twitter and Facebook for more details.

Before the movie starts, I’ll be announcing the winning movie for Episode 10, the October GMC (the short list for that should be ready for voting soon). And after the movie, you'll have a chance to nominate movies for Episode 11, so start thinking about what movie you’d like to see back on the big screen.Don’t forget to visit the Bookshelf Facebook and Twitter pages for voting and more details! Till then, see you at the movies.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

One of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes is the first season's "Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," in which the humanity of a sleepy American suburb quickly dissolves when rumours that a monster is in their midst start to spread. To me, Twilight Zone was at its best when it was unabashedly tuning into that Cold War mistrust and fear of one's neighbour. If it used to be a far-out idea that an individual in the community was capable of monstrosity ("He seemed like such a nice guy..."), we seem to have arrived at a place where we assume that anyone could not be who they seem, anyone could be capable of whatever horror we ourselves are able to dream up. The tone would be a little different, but I can imagine Rod Serling supplying one of his weather-worn velvet introductions to Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt.

Mads Mikkelsen, everyone's favorite Dane, plays Lucas, everyone's favorite preschool teacher. As loving and at ease as he is with the kids, there's a stiffness to Lucas, a perfect posture that seems almost uncomfortable, as through he's recovering from some severe break. Indeed, he's divorced, though we don't quite know how freshly or why. Lucas's community within the Danish hunting village is small. His best friend Theo lives a stone's throw down the street, and he spends weekends with a generations-deep hunting club. As we're introduced to Lucas and his community, we get the idea that these relationships have sturdy roots.

Theo's young daughter Klara is slightly withdrawn, more a resident of her own head than the village. She's afraid to step on cracks or any lined pattern, and so walks with her head down and gets lost easily. Lucas is often the one to find her, her own parents being reliably tardy or vaguely unavailable. A puppy love develops, but when Lucas reacts to a kiss on the lips with a gentle reprimand, Klara quickly turns moody, and that bad mood, tainted with some untoward information she gleans from her teen aged brother, has her mumble to the daycare leader that Lucas has done something inappropriate.

Cue the Twilight Zone theme.

It may seem a bit extreme to compare the fallout accompanying accusations of pedophilia to some eldritch Serling-esque scenario, but as Lucas's life is slowly and then violently dismantled on account of Klara's passing, innocent fib, I can't think of a better example of weirdness and alienation and reality being upended. The demonizing of Lucas becomes all the more surreal and existential because, for the viewer, there is no doubt of his innocence. "Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" quickly becomes "Terror At 20,000 Feet" as Lucas's declarations of innocence are not even entertained by the village.

I can think of few topics more or as repellent as pedophilia, and I don't doubt that some people will steer clear of The Hunt on the sheer basis of subject matter. But if you can stomach the fact that repugnance resounds in our world, do take the time to see The Hunt. Morally--especially in that empathetic corner of morality, the "What would I do?" corner--Vinterberg's film is compelling and challenging in a very rare way. Because it can be sometimes uncomfortable feeling doesn't mean The Hunt isn't one of the best movies of the year.- Andrew